Cooking with spice mixes, pastes and sauces

Other foods: broths and soups, yogurt, lemon juice, beverages (including tea), vegetable oil (olive), fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, chocolate.

Seasonings and spices: basil, cloves, cumin, ginger, cardamom, cilantro, coriander, cinnamon, onion, marjoram, oregano, fenugreek, paprika, chili, black pepper, parsley, sumac, thyme, dill, fennel, garlic.

Cuisines and dishes: Afghan cuisine, Middle Eastern cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine, Greek cuisine, Indian cuisine, Moroccan cuisine, Tabbouleh salad, North African cuisine, Mediterranean cuisine, Thai cuisine, Turkish cuisine, chutneys.

MUSTARD

Mustard, unlike most of spices, virtually does not have a flavor. Its aromatic qualities begin to activate when it gets into contact with various liquids. This is why it is often added at the very beginning of cooking process, before all other seasonings and spices. Mustard will easily buck up your dish and add spicy flavors to sauces and spicy combinations. Brown and black mustard seeds are replaceable as opposed to yellow seeds. Mustard seeds supplement all other spices in such mixes as panch phoron, curry, sambarmasala and ras-el-hanout.

Mustard pairing:

Fruits and vegetables: avocado, cabbage (including sauerkraut), potatoes, leeks, carrots, cucumbers, bell pepper, tomato, radish, beetroot, asparagus, apple.

Protein product: lamb, beef (including charbroiled/grilled), wild game (rabbit), legumes (especially peas, beans, lentils, buckwheat, rice), sausages, smoked products (meat, fish), seafood (especially crab, mussels), nuts (walnuts), poultry (especially chicken), fish (especially salmon), pork, cheeses (especially blue cheese, cheddar, Gruy?re), eggs.

Other foods: mushrooms, gingerbread, honey, beverages, vegetable oil (including olive oil), soy sauce, juice (lemon), vinegar, bread.

Seasonings and spices: anise, star anise, clove, cumin, ginger, cardamom, cilantro, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, bay leaf, onion, nutmeg, mint, oregano, fenugreek, paprika, peppers (black pepper, allspice, chili), parsley, celery, sumac, dill, fennel, garlic, tarragon.

Cuisines and dishes: Indian cuisine, Irish cuisine, Italian cuisine, German cuisine, Scandinavian cuisine, steaks, French cuisine.

NUTMEG

Never buy ground nutmeg to replace the whole one. It is better to buy a special nutmeg grater and grate the nut with it as ground nutmeg loses its flavor in the shortest time and becomes flavourless. The whole nutmeg is rich in fresh warm aroma; its flavor has a bitter-sweet balance with clove and wood notes. Nutmeg is a part of most desserts and brings a special accent to many Indian and Middle Eastern mixes such as Kashmiri masala and baharat.

Nutmeg Pairing:

Fruits and vegetables: banana, broccoli, pear, green beans, zucchini, cabbage (including cauliflower), potatoes, corn, carrots, cucumbers, parsnip, peach, tomato, radish, beetroot, pumpkin, spinach, apple.

Protein product: lamb, beef and veal, legumes (peas, semolina, wheat, rice, beans, chickpeas), yoghurt, sausages, chicken, milk, seafood (especially oysters, shrimp), nuts (especially hazelnuts), fish, pork, cream, cheeses (especially creamy), eggs.

Other foods: broths and soups (especially fish based), pastries, mushrooms, custard and desserts, candies, lemon juice, pasta, honey, drinks, cookies, cakes, sugar, butter, cream and white sauces, dough, minced meat and meatballs, chocolate.

Seasonings and spices: vanilla, cloves, cumin, ginger, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, onion, allspice, black pepper, thyme, caraway, garlic, sage.

Cuisines and dishes: Middle Eastern cuisine, Greek cuisine, Indian cuisine, Italian cuisine, Caribbean cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Latin American cuisine, German cuisine, Pan-Asian cuisine, Scandinavian cuisine.

OREGANO

Oregano has a pleasant, delicate aroma and a spicy peppery-bitter taste. This spice scatters incredible aromas, regardless of the Greek, Turkish or Mexican nature of origin. And such seasoning as za’atar is a proof of that. Oregano is very popular throughout the Mediterranean and in Latin America, and it's a obvious favorite in Italian spice blends. Oregano and marjoram have much stronger flavor in dried form rather than fresh. If you want grilled or charbroiled meat, fish or vegetables to have a fine spicy aroma, just put a couple of sprigs of fresh oregano/marjoram on the coals. Picture 1 – Turkish oregano, Picture 2 – Mexican oregano.

Oregano pairing:

Fruits and vegetables: artichoke, eggplant, broccoli, zucchini, potatoes, lettuce and greens (especially arugula), carrots, cucumbers, olives, bell pepper, tomato, citrus, chives.

Protein product: lamb, beef and veal, wild game (especially rabbit, partridge, quail), legumes (especially beans), sausages, seafood (especially oysters, shrimp, squid), nuts, poultry (chicken, duck), fish (in including fatty, baked, fried), pork, cheese (especially feta, mozzarella, parmesan), eggs.

Other foods: mushrooms, lemon juice, pasta, vegetable oil (olive), soups and broths (especially fish, chicken and vegetable), dough, tomato sauces, stews and roasted foods, vinegar, minced meat and meatballs.

Seasonings and spices: basil, mustard, cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf, onion, marjoram, mint, paprika, black pepper, chili, parsley, rosemary, celery, thyme, caraway, dill, garlic, sage, tarragon.

Cuisines and dishes: Greek cuisine, Spanish cuisine, Italian cuisine, Mexican cuisine, mole sauces, pizza, Mediterranean cuisine.

PAPRIKA

Sweet paprika plays a tremendous role in the mixes balancing with its taste and aroma of sharp notes of peppers. Paprika gives a dish gustatory note and bright colour. It has a fairly modest delicate aroma, in some cases, resembling caramel and fruit notes. Its flavour varies from sweet to slightly pungent, with spicy hints. That depends primarily on kind of pepper used for powder making: it can be sweet and bitter or hot. Spanish paprika, for instance, is known for its mild smoky flavour with a slight pungency since it is customary in Spain to smoke it. Often, the paprika is added in the beginning of cooking process. It has tendency to get burned quick giving a dish a bitter taste and ruining it. For this reason, it is not recommended to put paprika in a hot dry frying pan or into superheated oil while cooking.

Paprica pairing:

Fruits and vegetables: paprika pairs with a very large number of vegetables, especially: green onions, cabbage (including cauliflower), potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes.

Protein product: lamb, beef and veal, legumes (beans, rice), yogurt, sausages, chicken (especially baked), seafood (especially crabs, octopus, oysters), poultry (especially fried: duck, turkey), fish (especially baked), pork (especially bacon, ribs), cream, cheese, eggs.

Other foods: mushrooms, lemon juice, pasta, vegetable oil (olive oil), butter, cream and tomato sauces, stews (especially fish).

Seasonings and spices: basil, cloves, cumin, ginger, cardamom, turmeric, onion, marjoram, oregano, allspice, black and white pepper, chili, parsley, rosemary, celery, thyme, caraway, garlic, sage, saffron.

Cuisines and dishes: Middle Eastern cuisine, curry dishes, Hungarian cuisine, goulash, European cuisine, Indian cuisine, Spanish cuisine, Cajun cuisine, Moroccan cuisine, paprikash, paella, tajins, Turkish cuisine.

PARSLEY

Dried parsley very well preserves its spicy flavor with slight shades of anise and lemon. Thanks to its spicy, herbaceous, light peppery flavour it has proved itself in almost all the world cuisines. The most popular spice mix which includes parsley is the famous bouquet garni. But this is by no means the only mix supplemented by parsley.

Parsley pairing:

Fruits and vegetables: avocado, eggplant, green onions, zucchini, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, parsnip, tomato, cauliflower, citrus, chives, spinach, sorrel.

Protein product: lamb, beef and veal, wild game, legumes (rice, beans, peas, lentils, cereals), sausages, seafood (shellfish, mussels, oysters, shrimps, snails), poultry (chicken), fish, pork, cheeses (especially parmesan, ricotta, cream cheese), eggs.

Other foods: broths and soups, mushrooms, pasta, butter, vegetable oil (olive), juice and zest (lemon), tomato sauces, vinegar, minced meat and meatballs.

Seasonings and spices: basil, coriander, cinnamon, bay leaf, onion, marjoram, mint, oregano, paprika, black and white pepper, chili, rosemary, celery, sumac, thyme, caraway, dill, fennel, savory, garlic, sage, tarragon.

Cuisines and dishes: Middle Eastern cuisine, Spanish cuisine, Italian cuisine, Moroccan cuisine, pesto, pizza, salsa, Mediterranean cuisine, tabbouleh, stews, French cuisine.

ROSEMARY

Paired with garlic, rosemary is an excellent supplement to beef and lamb. A woody mouth-puckering pine aroma of this herb perfectly complements, improves and emphasizes these types of meat. Rosemary is resistant to heat treatment and therefore is it unreplaceable for grilled and roasted meat where this herb refines meat with its delicate smoky aroma. Rosemary is also very good for marinade. Venison, p?tеs, various appetizers – these are just few dishes where you can use this wonderful herb. Being an integral part of herbes de Provence, rosemary plays a balance of aromas with such herbs as oregano, sage, savory and thyme. Because of its greatness, rosemary always dominates and oppresses other spices with its aroma, so it should be carefully dosed otherwise you risk of not only losing flavor and aroma of other spices used with it, but also of the whole dish. Young rosemary branches can be used to flavor oils, vinegar or beverages. Rosemary is usually added in the very beginning of cooking process.

Rosemary pairing:

Fruits and vegetables: apricot, eggplant, pear, green beans, cabbage (including Brussels, cauliflower), potatoes, strawberries, carrots, olives, parsnips, bell pepper, tomato, beets, asparagus, chicory, citrus, chives, spinach, apple.

Protein product: lamb, beef and veal, wild game (rabbit, venison), legumes (beans, peas, rice, lentils), chicken (especially fried), milk, seafood (especially mussels, octopus, scallops, oysters, shrimp), nuts, poultry (duck), fish (salmon, tuna, anchovies, sardines, mackerel), pork (including bacon), cheeses (especially creamy), eggs.

Other foods: mushrooms, honey, various kinds of marinades and sauces, vegetable oil (olive), sugar, butter, juice and zest (especially lemon, grapefruit, lime, orange), dough and bakery products (bread, biscuits), vinegar.

Seasonings and spices: basil, bay leaf, onion, marjoram, mint, oregano, black pepper, parsley, celery, thyme, caraway, dill, fennel, savory, garlic, sage.